Allen Career Institute has appointed Rakesh Ranjan, former CEO of Zomato’s food delivery business, as the new Chief Executive Officer of Allen Online. This move marks Allen’s growing focus on strengthening its digital presence in the competitive education space.
The appointment comes shortly after Abha Maheshwari, a former Meta executive who had been leading Allen Online since 2023, stepped down from the role. Ranjan’s entry is seen as a strategic attempt to blend proven technology leadership with legacy academic excellence.
Ranjan Brings Startup Agility
Ranjan officially exited Zomato earlier this month after spearheading its food delivery operations for two years, during which he played a crucial role in improving profitability and market dominance. Before that, he launched and scaled Hyperpure, Zomato’s B2B supply chain arm, turning it into a high-growth vertical in record time.
He began his career at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he helped established Indian conglomerates with digital transformation and operational optimisation. His unique mix of startup speed and corporate discipline is expected to reshape Allen’s online learning ecosystem.
Allen Bets Big on Digital
Confirming the appointment, Nitin Kukreja, CEO of Allen Career Institute, said, “Rakesh has repeatedly scaled new-age tech businesses and solved complex problems. With him leading Allen Online, we will combine 37 years of teaching excellence with AI-powered innovation.”
Founded in 1988 in Kota by Rajesh Maheshwari, Allen began with just eight students and has now grown into India’s most trusted test prep institution, operating over 300 coaching centres across 66 cities including Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Gwalior.
Edtech Expansion Continues
Allen entered the edtech segment in April 2022 with the launch of Allen Online, shortly after raising $600 million from Bodhi Tree Systems, the investment platform of James Murdoch and Uday Shankar. The Bengaluru-based platform offers AI-enabled assessments, digital content, and personalised student support for exams like JEE, NEET, and Olympiads.
Speaking about his new role, Rakesh Ranjan said, “At Allen, we are scaling access to high-quality learning so that every student, regardless of geography or background, has the chance to fulfil their potential.”
ALLEN Scholarship Test
To make education more inclusive, Allen has been conducting its popular ALLEN Scholarship and Admission Test (ASAT) across both offline and online formats. Thousands of students appear for the exam annually to secure fee waivers and direct admission into Allen’s top batches.
With Ranjan now at the helm of Allen Online, the digital ecosystem around ASAT and other scholarship programmes is expected to become even more personalised and accessible, reaching students in smaller towns and remote regions.
